The Jayhawks were 40 minutes away from claiming their fourth national title last season but Anthony Davis and John Calipari’s Wildcats were too much. This year, Kansas has what it takes to get back to the Final Four and has as good a chance as anyone to capture a national championship. The Jayhawks, who boast four senior starters, including defensive ace Jeff Withey, and star freshman guard Ben McLemore, earned a No. 1 seed for the fourth time in six years. They’ve won 10 of their last 11 games and, if they stay hot, could easily win their first national title since 1988.

Worst case scenario: Sweet 16

No. 1 seeds almost always win at least two games in the NCAA Tournament. After Kansas beats Western Kentucky on Friday, it will face either North Carolina (24-10) or Villanova (20-13), who has logged wins over Georgetown, Syracuse, Marquette and Louisville this season. No. 4 seed Michigan and No. 5 seed VCU could give the Jayhawks problems in the Sweet 16 while Georgetown and Florida are arguably the most dangerous No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively. The road to the Final Four won’t be an easy one for Kansas.

Kansas State (27-7)

Seed: 4 (West Region)

Opponent: No. 13 Boise State (21-10)/La Salle (21-9)

Best case scenario: Final Four

Kansas State didn’t lose any games it wasn’t supposed to this year. Its only defeats came to No. 1 seed Kansas (three times), No. 1 seed Gonzaga, No. 4 seed Michigan No. 5 seed Oklahoma State and No. 10 seed Iowa State, with all but one of those losses coming away from home. The Wildcats could use a potential Sweet 16 matchup against Gonzaga to avenge a 16-point loss to the Bulldogs last December and pave a path to the Final Four.

Worst case scenario: Two and done

The Wildcats will face the winner of the Boise State-La Salle game Tuesday. Neither team should present much of a challenge to them. Kansas State’s next game will be much tougher. It will play either No. 5 seed Wisconsin or No. 12 seed Mississippi, who just won the SEC tournament. The Badgers, like always, are one of the toughest teams in the country and if they can beat Indiana — twice — they can beat Kansas State.

Oklahoma State (24-8)

Seed: 5 (Midwest Region)

Opponent: No. 12 Oregon (26-8)

Best case scenario: Final Four

With Marcus Smart, Markel Brown and Le’Bryan Nash, Oklahoma State has one of the most talented teams in the country. They would likely have to go through No. 1 overall seed Louisville in the Sweet 16 and possibly No. 2 seed Duke, who has lost only once with Ryan Kelly in the lineup this year, to get to Atlanta but the Cowboys could do it.

Worst case scenario: One and done

No. 12 seeds are always a threat to pull an upset and Oregon may be the most dangerous No. 12 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The Ducks just won the Pac-12 tournament and have a better record (26-8) than the Cowboys (24-8) do this season. Oregon has wins over UNLV, Arizona and UCLA (twice) this year. Oklahoma State is good but it the Ducks could beat the Cowboys.

Iowa State (22-11)

Seed: 10

Opponent: No. 7 Notre Dame (25-9)

Best case scenario: Elite Eight

Only three of the other 67 teams in the NCAA Tournament field (Northwestern State, Indiana and Iona) are scoring more points per game than the 79.6 that Iowa State is averaging this season. The Cyclones have four players averaging at least 10 points per game and two others (Korie Lucious, 9.9 ppg and Chris Babb, 9.3 ppg) not far behind. The Cyclones could definitely get past Notre Dame but picking up wins over Ohio State and New Mexico (or even Arizona) will be tough. But they could do it.

Worst case scenario: One and done

While the Fighting Irish have bad losses to St. John’s and Providence on their resume, they’ve also beaten Louisville, Marquette and Pittsburgh. If they can keep up with the Cardinals for five overtimes, they can keep up with the high-scoring Cyclones.

Oklahoma (20-11)

Seed: 10 (East Region)

Opponent: No. 7 San Diego St (22-10)

Best case scenario: Elite Eight

Beating San Diego State will be tough. Beating Georgetown and Florida (or UCLA) will be almost impossible. Almost. The Hoyas are 13-2 in their last 15 games and clobbered a Texas team that Oklahoma recently lost to. But Georgetown lost to South Florida earlier this year and fell in overtime to Syracuse in its last game. Oklahoma won’t be facing a team with much momentum coming into the NCAA Tournament if it gets past the Aztecs.

Worst case scenario: One and done

Then again, the Sooners don’t have much momentum themselves. The same team that beat Big 12 champion and No. 1 seed Kansas this year has lost two straight heading into the Big Dance, with the first of those defeats coming to last-place TCU. San Diego State, who beat UCLA and New Mexico this year while falling to Arizona by only one point, could easily knock out Oklahoma.

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